The present invention relates to systems, methods, and apparatus for storing and displaying books, magazines, journals, and other periodicals, and more particularly concerns such systems, method, and apparatus for accomplishing such storage in a minimum space while still retaining a significant degree of visual access.
Storage of books in a library or bookstore is accomplished by positioning the books in substantially vertical orientation upon book shelves and in immediately adjacent side-by-side relation. Because of the width of the book, title and other information are readily printed on the spine of the book (the binding), so that the book may be readily identified merely by visually scanning the prominently displayed book backs.
In periodicals, such as magazines, journals, pamphlets, and the like, the method of binding and the nature of the periodical itself generally prevent the printing of identifying indicia on the spine of the periodical, so that if the periodicals are stored on shelves in the manner of storage of books, there is no visual access to the periodicals, and it becomes difficult or impossible to distinguish one from another without removing one from the shelf. For this reason, it is common to display periodicals in different types of shelving, which include horizontally extending, but vertically inclined supports for periodicals which are laid on their side in edge to edge relation with front covers facing the viewer. The periodicals may be overlapped, one upon another, to some extent, but they cannot completely overlap because enough of the cover of each periodical must be clearly visible for display of at least the periodical title. This practice requires the use of significantly larger amounts of floor space and supporting equipment.
In libraries, bookstores, and the like, the unit cost of maintaining a periodical section is substantially higher than the similar cost for the average book section, primarily because of the disproportionately greater amount of shelving space and floor space required to display a magazine, as compared with that required for display of books. For example, in order to properly display 300 periodicals, a library may invest as much as $10,000 in twelve five-tier display units having inclined shelves, which units require up to 45 square feet of floor and wall space. Twelve comparably sized book shelves, on the other hand, are capable of holding and displaying six to ten times as many books. Thus, it is clear that present methods and systems for display of periodicals, and the like, in libraries, schools, bookstores, and other similar institutions, impose excessively great expenses in the form of the enormous amount of floor space required and the high cost of the necessary shelving.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide for the storage and display of periodicals, such as magazines, journals, and the like, by means of more compact, simpler, and inexpensive arrangements which will permit ready access for browsing, selection, removal, and replacement by the users.